Miracle on 16th Avenue
by Liam Needsom
Summary: Amanda thinks she's prepared for anything when she stops by to try and cheer Lee up on Thanksgiving, but she isn't prepared for what she finds at his apartment. Set in Season 3.


Author's Note: Here Be Dragons.

This is the fourth story in a series, which should probably be read first for complete understanding This story contains elements some of you may be uncomfortable with. I ask only that you read it with an open mind and heart. This is not intended to be shocking, just a view of events seen from a slightly different angle that may change your perception of how certain things happened.

All characters remain the property of their original creators. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

 **Miracle on 16th Street**

Amanda juggled her purse and the Tupperware container while taking one last steadying breath before lifting her hand and rapping on the door. What was the worst that could happen? He was probably just watching football with his beloved guacamole dip. She knew he was on the duty roster but Billy had let it drop in conversation that Lee wasn't actually expected to be in the Agency the whole time – he had enough seniority to just be on call; it was other less senior guys who had to spend Thanksgiving underground at the office. She wasn't entirely sure that Billy hadn't been dropping a heavy-handed hint, but it still bothered her that Lee spent the holidays alone, so here she was.

 _Who are you kidding? You just don't want to go home to an empty house._

Whatever she'd been expecting Lee to be doing, never in her wildest dreams had it involved him being in a tuxedo. Well, half in a tuxedo. The tie was hanging loosely around his neck, the top few buttons of his dress shirt were undone, and for some reason, the whole thing topped a faded pair of Levis. He wasn't even looking as he opened the door, laughing over his shoulder at something – or someone – in the room behind him as he dug in his pocket for his wallet.

"I can't believe you were this quick, but thank God, you're here," he was saying. "The natives were getting restless." Another second after that, he'd looked up and realized whom was standing there. "Amanda? What are you doing here?" Suddenly realizing how rude that sounded, he went on quickly, "I mean, I wasn't expecting you - is everything okay?" He leaned out grip her arms with a worried expression. "There's nothing wrong is there?"

"No, no, nothing wrong. I knew you were on the duty roster as usual and thought you might need a little something to make it more like a holiday, so I brought you this." She held up the pie carrier and watched his eyes light up.

"Is that one of those pumpkin cream pies like you brought in last year?" His tone was almost reverential as he stared at the container in her hand.

"Yeah, I always double the recipe and I knew you were stuck at home so I thought you might – "

"Leeeeeeee! You promised me Thanksgiving dinner!" came a female voice from the other room. "Where's the foooood?"

Amanda's eyes flew past his shoulder where, for the first time, she realized she could see a pair of female feet hanging over the edge of the sofa arm. Now trying to look anywhere but there, she forced herself to stare at the floor, wincing as she realized that there was a pair of stilettos right by the door.

 _Oh God, I'm an idiot. This is Randy Baby all over again._

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry. You're not alone – I should have called. Here, hope you enjoy it." She held the pie out toward him and got ready to flee, scarlet with embarrassment and suffering from a surprisingly strong flare of jealousy which she hoped wasn't showing on her face.

Instead of taking the pie, Lee's hand shot out to grab her wrist before she could go anywhere.

"Amanda, don't be ridiculous! Come in! It's fine." She dug her heels in a bit, mortified that she was in this position again, but he wouldn't let go, pulling her into the apartment with a grin.

She was trying to look anywhere except the sofa, worried what state of undress his latest date might be in, until a head popped up and she heard a familiar voice. "Damn it, Amanda! You're supposed to be Chinese food!"

"Francine?" Amanda wasn't sure, but Francine's glassy-eyed expression suggested she might be three sheets to the wind. "Are you alright?"

"She's fine," grinned Lee. "She's just put away most of a bottle of wine by herself, because she's not on call like me. Which wouldn't be bad but the game went into overtime, and I forgot to order the Chinese food until about ten minutes ago so she's done it mostly on an empty stomach. Well, except for the box of chocolates she brought as my gift for hosting dinner. Somehow I didn't end up getting to have any of those." He winked at Amanda and she realized that Francine had an arm curved protectively around the box on her lap.

"Is that food?" asked a suddenly interested Francine, eyeing the Tupperware that Amanda was still carrying. "Please tell me that's food."

"It's pumpkin cream pie."

"Yessss!" Francine trying to haul herself to her feet ungracefully. "Stetson! Fork me!"

Snorting with laughter, Lee pushed her back onto the sofa. "Sit your ass back down, Boozy the Dwarf! I'll bring you a plate." He relieved Amanda of the pie and headed for the kitchen. Francine had slumped back against the sofa cushions, eyes closed, so Amanda took off her coat, and hung it in the rack before following Lee into the kitchen.

"Maybe a spoon rather than a fork. I don't think she should be trusted with anything sharp," she grinned.

Lee nodded and pulled three spoons out of the drawer and handed them to her and then reached for a knife to cut the pie and a stack of plates.

"So is this how you always spend Thanksgiving?" she asked, curiously. Holidays were always a touchy subject with Lee, but she knew him well enough to ask now, she hoped.

"Sort of," he answered. "I mean, when it was just me and Andy, pizza and football with anyone who didn't have anywhere else to go was pretty standard. His family was all in Texas and as the 'single' guys, it was kind of expected we'd cover weekends like these for the family guys." He leaned back to make sure Francine was still flopped on the sofa out of earshot, but his voice dropped anyway. "I mean, we didn't care either way really. We were each other's family, you know? And then the past few years –." He busied himself with the pie, all too obviously being careful to not look at her.

"You wanted to be alone," she said softly.

He finally looked up, meeting her eyes and seeing the warm sympathy there. "Yeah." He looked down at the plates and then went on. "Well, no, actually but I didn't have anywhere to go and it was easier to be Scrooge than to let anybody see what was really bothering me."

"Your uncle would have wanted you to come visit." It was a statement, not a question. It seemed to have truly taken Lee by surprise earlier that year to find out that his uncle wanted a better relationship with him.

"Well, maybe. But I wouldn't have been very good company," he shrugged. "So, anyway, this year Francine's parents went to Hawaii and she was at loose ends so I suggested she come over here and spend the day with me. It seemed like time I should start to try and be normal again." He was digging through the fridge now and triumphantly pulled out a can of whipping cream. "But of course, Francine being Francine, she showed up dressed to the nines because she claimed it was such a momentous occasion that I'd agreed to be something approaching sociable and so _of course_ , I had to put on a tux, or at least most of one. I drew the line at changing out of my jeans."

He had finished dishing out the pie and began to shake the spray can. As he went to pull off the lid, Amanda put out her hand to stop him.

"Lee Stetson, please tell me that nozzle has never been in your mouth."

He paused and pretended to think about that for a moment before his grin broadened and the dimples appeared. "Well, Mom, you're probably right to ask, but I swear this is a brand new can. Scout's honor."

"You were never a Scout," she teased him. "But just this once, I'll choose to believe you."

Lee squirted a dollop of cream on each piece and handed her a plate before picking up the other two plates and leading the way back into the living room, where Francine fell on the offering as if she hadn't eaten in days, moaning appreciatively around her spoon.

"Amanda, you have so many annoying qualities, but your baking is truly to die for."

She met Lee's eyes, both of them trying not to laugh at Francine's drunken candor.

"So why are you here?" asked Lee suddenly, cocking an eyebrow at her. "I mean, I'm happy to see you, but why aren't you with your family?"

"Well, Mother went up to spend the weekend with Aunt Lillian, and the boys and I went to spend the day with their other grandparents because it's their year. I stayed for dinner, but they'd asked if the boys could stay for the weekend, and since I have to work tomorrow…" She shrugged. "So I put the pie in the car and figured I'd just stop by on my way home from Chevy Chase."

"Well, I'm glad you did." The warm expression in his eyes told her he meant it.

"I'm glad I did too," she smiled at him. "Just to get to see Francine in this state if nothing else."

There was a knock at the door just then and Lee jumped up. "Now this time it will definitely be the delivery guy." He was back in under two minutes with the boxes, dropping them onto the coffee table, even as Amanda clucked disapprovingly as she tried to find something to put under them to protect the table. He disappeared to grab more plates and cutlery. "Are you having any?" his voice floated out from the kitchen.

"Oh lord no, I'm so full of turkey dinner and pie, I can't even think about eating anything else right now."

There was silence for a few minutes after he returned while he and Francine scooped the contents of the boxes out onto plates and then Lee leaned back in his chair, long legs stretched out in front of him, and his plate balanced on his chest. "Now this is the life. Dessert first and then dinner. It's all my childhood dreams come true. They never let you do that in the mess hall." He looked so relaxed, she could barely take in that it was the same man she'd met two years ago.

"So is that what you normally do? Spending the holidays with your ex in-laws, I mean?" he asked, around a forkful of chow mein.

"Well, the boys do – every other year, at least. Joe's sister comes with her kids from New York and they get to see their cousins. I don't usually go, but I missed spending it with them last year, and with Mother away, I decided to tag along for once." She gave him a quick smile. "I just wanted somewhere to go for Thanksgiving, I guess."

"You missed last year?" he asked, confusion clearly written on his face.

She wasn't really surprised he'd forgotten after spending so long avoiding holidays at all costs. "I was in Munich last year. Well, I guess we both were, really. You sprang me from jail, remember?"

"Oh shit, I don't think I ever realized that. I'm sorry." He looked sincerely regretful. She had to hand it to him – he didn't like holidays, but he did seem to understand what they meant to other people.

"It's okay. I mean, it wasn't your fault the job ended up being so long. I was supposed to be home in time, and we just had a special dinner when I got home from London to make up for it."

He still looked stricken that he'd forgotten and she sent up a silent thanks that he couldn't have any idea of just how bad that week leading up to it had been. She didn't know why Leslie O'Connor had never told him like she'd more or less threatened to, but the lingering fear had never really left. If she was honest with herself, the memories of that time were making her jumpy and that's why she hadn't wanted to go home and spend the holiday alone.

"Besides," she went on, "your holiday was ruined too, remember? You were supposed to be in the Poconos with Randy."

"Jillian," he corrected her absentmindedly. He was still sunk in thought, staring at his plate. "That was my avoid-the-holidays plan last year."

"Sorry about that," she said, lightly. "I guess I could have put off calling for a few days more. German jail wasn't so bad – I didn't have to share a cell with Wilma that time."

Lee gave a bark of laughter. "Oh it was over long before you called to be honest. I was drunk when she showed up and she dumped my ass before we even left." He wrinkled his nose and made a noise of disgust. "And I took that out on you if I remember correctly, so now I feel doubly bad."

"Well, I'm not spending this Thanksgiving still in jail for counterfeiting, so I think we're even," she replied with a soft smile.

"But now you've brought pie, so I'm back in debt again," he answered easily.

"God, you two are maudlin on the holidays," drawled Francine suddenly, making them both jump. For a moment, they'd obviously both forgotten she was there. "I mean the pie was great, but this kind of occasion used to be a lot more fun when it was the two generals in charge."

Amanda gave Lee a confused look. "The two generals?"

"Me and Andy," he answered. "That was our nickname from our training days because of Lee and Grant." Amanda wasn't looking any less confused so he clarified. "Lee Stetson, Andy Grant, so Lee and Grant. It wasn't just the coincidence of the names either; we fought like cats and dogs in the early days, trying to top each other at everything."

Her brow cleared. "Oh! That makes sense. I don't think I ever knew his last name before now," she said slowly. Her cheeks dimpled suddenly. "Cats and dogs, huh? Haven't you ever had a partnership that didn't start out with you fighting?"

"Not a good one," he answered, smiling broadly back at her.

"Hey!" growled Francine indignantly. "We didn't fight and we worked just fine together!"

Lee cocked an eyebrow at her and said nothing.

"Okay, we didn't fight much," she amended.

Lee shot Amanda a wink. "That's probably why Billy never partnered us. We were too dull."

"I am never dull, Stetson!" Francine had stood up and was swaying slightly, wagging a finger at him. "You take that back!"

"I take it back! I take it back!" Lee was laughing openly at her now. "But where are you going?"

Francie paused, and stared around thoughtfully as if she couldn't quite remember why she'd stood up. Her brow cleared suddenly. "Bathroom," she announced and worked her way out of the room, not quite in a straight line, but with the telltale dignified bearing of someone who's had too much to drink.

"Maybe you could start a fight with her when she gets back," joked Amanda. "Fighting over Thanksgiving dinner is a fine American tradition after all."

"Is that what happened over at the in-laws?" he asked curiously. "Is that why you left early?"

Trust him to figure out that it was too early for her to have left a family dinner, just when she was certain he didn't know what 'normal' people did.

"Oh no, nothing like that. It was all very polite, but since the divorce, they don't know quite how to act around me, I think. It might have been simpler if it had been acrimonious," she said thoughtfully. "They'd have had a side to pick," she explained off Lee's questioning look. "They don't quite know how to handle an ex-daughter-in-law who is still friends with their son, but with him out of the country, they need to stay friendly with me if they want to see Phillip and Jamie. Not that I'd ever think of not letting them see them," she rushed to add. "They're perfectly nice people and they adore the boys – it's just weird, you know? So it's a little bit uncomfortable – that's why I don't usually go."

"I can imagine," Lee answered drily. "Seven years and now all I can do is send Andy's mom a Christmas card and bottle of the perfume he always sent her. At least your in-laws knew."

"Aw, Lee, I'm so sorry. That's awful."

"No I'm sorry," he said, sitting up and putting his plate on the table in front of him. "Francine's right – we're getting maudlin. How about I get you a drink and we find something on TV to lighten the mood?"

"Well, that would be nice. Has Francine left any wine?"

"Oh, I imagine I can find another bottle or two," chuckled Lee. He tossed her the remote. "I'll go find something, and you find something for us to watch."

* * *

He was busy uncorking a bottle when he heard the unmistakeable sound of Judy Garland singing "Over the Rainbow" coming from the living room and Francine laughing as she returned from the bathroom. "No!" he called out. "Anything but that! Francine will just talk about those damn shoes the whole time!"

He smiled to himself at the sound of the two women chortling even as the song cut off abruptly as the channel changed.

He walked back in with a glass of wine for Amanda in one hand and the pie dish in another. "I know you prefer red, but this Riesling will go perfectly with the pie." He settled back down in the armchair and put his feet up on the table. He caught Amanda's disapproving look. "My house, my rules," he grinned, evoking a smile in response as she stretched out and put up her own feet near his. "So, what are we watching?"

"Miracle on 34th Street," answered Francine as he groaned theatrically. "It's my favorite."

"And perfect for a little boy who doesn't believe in Christmas," added Amanda, smiling at him over the rim of her wine glass. "Maybe we'll bring you round to the idea."

"Fine," he grumbled. He'd never admit it, but he _loved_ this movie. One of the first things he'd done as an adult was go to New York for the Macy's parade. He might have felt a little silly standing among all the families jostling for space in the sidewalk, but it hadn't stopped the glee he'd felt at actually getting to see it.

He looked away from the TV and over at the sofa where the two women had tucked themselves up into opposite corners. It was funny, he mused, no one who knew him by Scarecrow reputation only would ever believe his two best friends in the world were these two diametrically opposed women. And Amanda was right, he'd almost forgotten how much better it was to have someone to spend the holidays with.

 _Home for the holidays_. _She'd come home for the holidays_. _Home to me_. A tendril of happiness worked its way into his heart, a warmth he hadn't felt in too long, a warmth he realized had been burgeoning since her arrival. _No,_ he realized _, she'd brought home_ _with_ _her_.

He had some snatch of poetry running through his head, something he'd had to learn in grade school, but he couldn't quite remember – something about being thankful for the unexpected blessings. He frowned slightly, chasing the words and then almost laughed out loud as they crystallized – ' _Sometimes God uses unexpected encounters to bring unexpected blessings'._ It could almost have been written about Amanda.

He shifted his foot to nudge hers, toasting her with his glass when she turned to look at him. "Happy Thanksgiving, Amanda."

Her smile was almost blinding in response. "Happy Thanksgiving, Lee."


End file.
